Netgain

I hate passwords.  They are complex, should be unique for every website or service, and I have to change them every 90 days.  What is the point?  "My accounts have never been compromised." (That I know of.)

Technology is ever-evolving, and as a result the industries which rely on technology the most need to be able to evolve as well.  Healthcare IT is no exception.  As of 2014, the ONC has issued a set of standards and requirements which all healthcare practices must follow.

The delay in the implementation of ICD-10 has been frustrating for some and a relief for others.  For many healthcare practices, especially the smaller ones in rural areas, the delay has brought relief.  No matter how you have reacted in your own facility to this constantly changing timeline, you should not kid yourself about the future.  The transition is coming and ICD-10 cannot be avoided.

No matter the size of your operation, if you have other people's personal records, you are a target for information theft.  If you are a rural doctor or small hospital administrator you may think that your patient records are locked up safe.  Only a few people have access to your computers so everyone is safe, right? Wrong.  Alarming trends of criminal use of patient information show an increased need for tighter IT security measures.  Here are some of the numbers when it comes to criminal use of patent information.

Technology is, and always has been, a major part of healthcare.  The two have been advancing hand-in-hand, seemingly forever.  Cloud computing, though, has presented a challenge, and solutions, of a decidedly different order.  While it is an opportunity of unquestioned importance, understanding how to benefit fully from it requires some study.

The need for Healthcare IT data storage is expanding exponentially.  Netgain recognized the need for amplifying data storage requirements and has decided to utilize flash storage, as an efficient and cost-effective way of meeting this need.

Data breaches are a growing problem for IT security professionals across various segments of the economy as cyber criminals infiltrate security systems undetected and steal valuable corporate and customer information.  Last year, the nationwide data breach experienced at Target retail stores compromised the personal and financial information of a combined 110 million customers during the busy holiday shopping season, the New York Times reported.  While data breaches in the retail industry may grab the most headlines, security issues found in healthcare organizations could leave them even more vulnerable to being targeted by cyber attacks and exposing protected health information (PHI).

The importance of cybersecurity has received a lot of news attention lately with Target and eBay both making headlines due to massive IT security breaches involving people’s financial information. Huge numbers of individuals were forced to cancel their credit cards as well as their bank and PayPal accounts and open new ones.  The risk of hackers discovering a person’s financial information was great, but the remedy, although inconvenient, was fairly simple.

In August 2013, MarketsandMarkets released a report that states healthcare organizations in North America will increase information technology (IT) outsourcing spending from $35 billion in 2013, to $50.4 billion in 2018--a 7.6% annual growth rate.  Legal and regulatory requirements are some of the key drivers fueling healthcare IT spending.  Other allocations include business software, productivity applications, business intelligence and database, and technology and system management.

Putting together a healthcare IT team does not have to intimidate you.  In fact, many of the critical members on any healthcare IT team are not what you normally imagine when you think of technology jobs.  Your existing infrastructure already employs many people who should be part of that team. Others may need to be added to your company in order to pave the way to an increasingly tech-oriented future.